Molly
by karomelbaby
Summary: Kurt had never thought that one of the best days of his life would be his return to Lima, Ohio. And when he left, he never thought he'd be bringing a girl home with him.  A daddy!Kurt fic, not a straight!Kurt fic.
1. Chapter 1

It had all started towards the end of his senior year at Dalton, when 'the letter' arrived. Kurt had been accepted into the design school of his dreams. While he hated leaving his family behind, they all understood why Kurt was going to France. Things had gone so smoothly in the beginning. He'd arrived in August, and settled into his apartment, which he was sharing with a girl named Émie Dejagardelle. They were in the same program (which was totally not what Kurt expected, and he really, really hated it) and got along fabulously. Kurt couldn't believe his luck. Then Hallowe'en came, and like any other college students, Kurt and Émie had gone out for the night to get drunk. Smashed. Wasted. Fucked.

Yeah, they'd gotten fucked, and in more ways than one. When they'd gotten back to their apartment, the pair drank another couple of bottles of tequila. The next thing Kurt knew, he was waking up naked on the sofa, with a pounding headache and an equally nude Émie on top of him. The first couple of days, things had been extremely awkward. But Émie was Kurt's (other) best friend and nothing, not even a drunken one night stand, was going to change that. And then things were back to normal, and the incident had become a running joke.

Or at least it had, until Émie started getting sick every other morning. And then every other morning became every morning. While holding her hair back for her as she threw up, Kurt had a sudden déja vu feeling that confused him, until the other event struck him like a train a moment later. The last time he'd been in this position, Quinn was throwing up before a sophomore spanish class with Mr. Schue.

The pregnancy had rocked them both to the core. When it was confirmed by a doctor at the university clinic, they trudged back to their place in silence. After a long time of sitting in silence beside each other on the couch, they cried, holding each other firmly. The next six months were long, and Kurt and Émie did a lot of thinking. Émie loved the design program, and she loved France. She loved Kurt as a best friend. And even though she hadn't met it yet, she loved the baby. Kurt hated the design program, and he hated France. He loved Émie as a best friend. And even though he hadn't met it yet, he loved the baby. Kurt had offered to marry her, but she couldn't do that to him, or herself for that matter. They weren't in love, and Kurt could never love her the way she wanted someone to. And she couldn't take away Kurt's dream of finding a guy to love him, either.

About four months into the pregnancy, and after a lot of research and discussion with other students in similar situations, with her mom, and with Kurt, Émie decided that she wasn't going to be able to take care of the baby. She would be alone in Paris with no one to help her out, and she knew she wouldn't be able to have a job, keep up with university, and take care of a baby all by herself.

Kurt really sympathized with Puck at this point. But, unlike Puck, Kurt had a lot more support behind him, and a home filled with help in Ohio. So, he talked to Émie about Kurt taking full custody, and returning to Lima with the baby. Émie was ecstatic, knowing that the baby would be in the good hands of its daddy; Kurt promised her that he'd send pictures, and that they'd visit whenever they could.

When Émie went into labor two months early, in the middle of May, Kurt was terrified. It wasn't supposed to happen this way. The baby was supposed to be born within a week of the due date, and with no complications. He nearly broke down, but he knew he had to hold it together so that he could get Émie through this. Luckily, despite the baby being early, the birthing itself went fine. After seeing Émie to sleep, Kurt went down the hallway, and to the next wing over.

The NICU. The baby, being early, had been rushed to an incubator the moment it was born. Kurt hadn't even seen his child yet. He stood outside the doors of the NICU for exactly seventy-eight minutes and fourteen seconds before finally gathering the courage to enter. He walked up to the nurse at the desk, who, having watched him pace, was smiling sympathetically at him.

"Hummel?" she asked. His throat constricting, he nodded, and followed her down the hall. She stopped just outside the room. "You're lucky, you know. She's mostly okay, her breathing is just a little bit erratic. She should only have to be here for the next week, next two weeks at the most. She's not inside an incubator, so you can hold her for as long as you like, but you'll have to leave the oxygen mask in place for the next couple of days at least."

Kurt's whole body sagged with relief. "The baby's okay? It's a girl?"

The nurse smiled and nodded. "Yes, your baby girl should be completely fine within a couple of days. Let's go in."

Kurt followed her into the room, which was a pale orange color with African animals cartoonized on the walls. There was a plastic bin-like cradle in the room that was attached to some machines. There was also a sofa and a rocking chair, along with a coffee table and a telephone. Kurt dropped his bag on the coffee table as he approached the cradle cautiously, seeing a few things from the machines leading into it.

And there she is. His baby. His daughter. She has a tiny oxygen mask on her face, and her tiny fists are tucked under her chin. Her eyes are closed and she's snuggled against the warm pink blanket that was tucked around her. He reaches out a finger, and strokes the edge of the mask, where a teeny portion of her cheek is exposed. "Hey," he whispers softly. She twists her head a little bit and blinks a few times, before her eyes finally land on Kurt's. They're big and green, just like his dad's. Kurt cries as he looks at her, moving his finger to where her little hands are. She wraps her tiny fingers around his, and he gives a huge smile through his tears. He wipes his eyes with the back of his other hand.

"Can I take pictures with this equipment around?" he asks, not wanting to do anything to jeopardize his little girl's safety.

The nurse smiles. "Yes, that's fine. You can use cell phones on this end of the unit, too, so feel free to make calls. Would you like me to help you hold her?" she asks, dragging the rocking chair closer to the cradle, so that Kurt could sit.

Kurt's eye's widen, and he nods enthusiastically. "Yes, please!" The nurse shows him how to pick her up from the crib, and settle her into his arms. He sits back slowly on the chair, careful not to jostle the oxygen mask. He's looking at the tiny child in his arms with a huge smile on his face when the nurse asks, "Do you want me to take a picture?"

He nods. "Oh yes, please. My phone should just be in the front pocked of my bag," he said, "You'll have to turn it on, though."

"No problem, sweetie," she replies. "I'm used to these kinds of things." Kurt has returned back to looking at his little girl when he hears a shutter noise. He looks up. The nurse laughs. "You were just too cute like that! Now smile, I'll get one of you looking." He does, and the nurse takes his picture. "I have some rounds and paperwork to do now," she smiles. "She's already been fed, and I doubt she'll need to be changed for at least an hour or two. Don't hesitate to pull that string over there if you need anything."

After she leaves, it's the picture where Kurt's not looking at the camera that he sends to his dad with the message "Isn't she beautiful? Call me asap!", knowing that since it's just about noon in Lima it won't be long until his dad calls back. Kurt's right - his dad calls him back almost immediately. And much as Kurt had been doing only a few hours earlier, Burt is freaking out.

In between his 'congratulations', and 'she's gorgeous, I can't wait to meet her''s, Burt's asking questions faster than Kurt can answer them. 'When are you moving home?' ''She's so early, is she okay?' Forty minutes later, Kurt gets all the questions answered and goes back to swooning over his baby, all the while thanking his cell company that he's got unlimited family calling from any continent, because really, this month's bill would have be ridiculous otherwise.

"Kiddo, I hate to cut this short (Kurt laughs inside, this is the longest phone conversation he's had since he first told his dad about the pregnancy) I've gotta run and show Carole the pictures, and get back to the shop."

"It's okay, Dad, I understand. Besides, my arm is starting to go a little numb. I think she's got her head on one of my arteries."

Burt chuckles on the other side of the ocean. "Name her yet?" Kurt replies with a not quite, but that after seeing her, he thinks he's got the perfect one. "Well, text me when you finally decide," Burt replies. "And Kurt?"

"Yeah, Dad?"

"I'm so proud of you."

"Proud of me? Dad, I got drunk and got a girl pregnant." In his head, he thanks grilled cheesus that he doesn't remember. Straight sex is just…gross.

"Okay, maybe not that part so much. But you have no idea how remarkable what you've done is. You took responsibility for your actions and you aren't just running from this. You've decided to put your kid before yourself, and that's not something most people do. Heck, even most of the time when you were growing up, especially when your mom died, I think I forgot how hard everything was on you. She'd be so proud of you, too, you know that, right? You're gonna be a great dad Kurt, I know it."

And there are so many things Kurt wants to say. He wants to say how he couldn't let Finn upstage him, could never give up his own baby, couldn't desert his best friend. But he's crying, and the only thing he can get out is "I had the best teacher", and then Burt's crying, too, and they exchange 'I love you's', and Burt reminds him to call his brother (unnecessary really - Kurt wasn't going to forget that, and plus, there's a reason he needs to call Finn as soon as he can get a minute), and then the phone call is over and the nurse is back.

"Mr. Hummel? Are you okay?" she's questioning, very concerned.

"I'm fine," he says, albeit shakily. "I just called my dad. He's in the states."

The nurse is looking at him with a befuddled expression on her face, and it's only then that he realizes he forgot that he's in France and she speaks French, so he repeats himself with a little laugh. She smiles, checks the oxygen monitor and the baby's vitals, and leaves Kurt sitting with his newborn daughter once more. He slips his phone into his pocket, and yeah, she's definitely laying on an artery because he can't feel the fingers in his right arm anymore.


	2. Chapter 2

Finn spends his Monday lunch breaks talking to Kurt. The tradition had started when Kurt found out he was going to be a dad. He had called Finn up on a Monday at noon. "Dude, it's lunch time here and supper time in France! Seriously, what is so important you couldn't wait until after dinner?" Finn had asked. And when Kurt had sighed "Finn", sounding as though he was on the verge of tears, Finn felt terrible.

"Sorry, dude. What's wrong? You okay?" he questioned, putting his burger on the table. Finn's football friends from OSU look at him weird, because Finn's putting a half-finished burger down, and Finn doesn't do that (hell, he doesn't even breathe until his burger is gone). Finn mouths 'my brother' at them, and they shrug, understanding this.

"Don't call me, dude, Finn! I can't take it right now, okay?" Kurt huffs.

"I'm sorry. You sound upset. Are your classes getting worse again?"

"No, Finn. Well yes, the classes are terrible…but I just… it's not that. Remember that thing I told you about that happened at Hallowe'en?"

"Oh yeah, I remember." Finn's grinning; he would have loved to have seen Kurt's face when he woke up naked next to a girl. This image in his head distracts him, and even though he's not the sharpest tool in the shed, after his sophomore year Finn would definitely have been able to piece together 'upset' and 'sex'.

"Émie's pregnant," Kurt whispers, and Finn barely catches what he says.

But Finn hears, and his grin drops quickly into a frown, and he lets out a low whistle. "What are you gonna do, bro?"

"We're…we're not sure yet. We only found out for sure this morning, and…and…we've talked a little bit when we tried the drugstore test…and a little on the car ride home…both of us are against…you know…"

"No abortion?" Finn asks, concerned. His buddies are listening intently now, trying to hear what Kurt's saying, but Finn doesn't even notice. "Good. I'd never forgive you if you let her get rid of my nephew."

For the first time since either of them found about this pregnancy, they smile.

"Finn, you know that decision is not mine to make."

"Still, Kurt. Quinn had our baby-" His football buddies are looking at each other like "what the fuck? he's a DAD? and I thought his brother was gay?"

"Finn, that was not your baby."

"Well it was at first. How was I supposed to know that Quinn slept with my best friend behind my back?" His friends are wondering why they didn't hear this story.

"Finn, you can't get a girl pregnant from ejaculating into a hot tub."

"I was sixteen! I didn't know that then! Anyways, enough about me. Have you told Burt yet?"

"I…no."

"Kurt!"

"I'm sorry, Finn! I'm still disgusted by the fact that I even slept with a girl. I'm terrified because I have no idea how I'm going to take care of a kid. I haven't finished college! And Dad…Finn, he'll be so disappointed. Besides, I called you first to find out how you told your mom when you found out about Quinn. A part of me is glad she's been through this before, she'll know what to do."

"I…I didn't tell her," Finn mumbles down at the table.

"But Quinn lived with you guys for a while. How could you not have told her?"

Finn sighs. "I didn't tell her. She caught me looking at the sonogram DVD." His friends are still completely flabbergasted. "Actually…I was singing to it."

"Fuck." When Kurt starts swearing, Finn knows that it's bad.

"Yeah. But…she seemed to take it really well. Maybe if you told her before your-"

"No way, Finn. No. Dad. . . I have to tell him."

"Alright. You want me to do anything?"

"Could - could you spend the night at home? I'm gonna call after he gets off work, and if you're there…"

"Anything, Kurt. Don't worry about it. I'm out at three, I'll head straight home."

"Thanks, Finn." Kurt sniffles. "You're an awesome brother."

"You're pretty great yourself. And Kurtsie?"

"Yo, Finnessa?"

"You'll be okay. I know it." Finn looks up, smiling. His friends make mocking 'awww' faces at him.

"Thanks, Finn. Call me after Dad's asleep?"

"Will do, brother from another mother." And the lines are dead, and Finn's friends are looking at him like "what the fucking fuck, dude" and so Finn tells his high school story, starting with the beginning of sophomore year and glee. They aren't jealous (except for the whole winning both football and glee nationals in senior year, 'cause you know, 'that's awesome shit, dude').

Finn's next couple of classes go by dreadfully slowly, but the drive back to Lima goes faster than he wanted it to. It's not a long drive, per say, but it's definitely long enough that making it everyday would be ridiculous. He's home before he knows it, and his mom is making supper when he walks in the door just behind Burt, who is washing his hands in the kitchen sink. "Finn! You're home! We weren't expecting you! Is everything alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." Finn can't lie to his mother, because she can see right through him, so he puts the emphasis on 'I'm'. But she looks at him oddly, and knows that something isn't quite adding up. She pushes it aside, and they sit down for a lovely dinner of pork chops and mashed potatoes. (No gravy - if Kurt found out they had gravy, well, they'd never hear the end of it. Gravy was only allowed on special occasions. Finn thought today should have qualified, but since Burt didn't know yet…well.)

Finn was uncharacteristically quiet during the meal. Throughout it, Burt and Carole are shooting each other 'what's wrong with Finn?' looks, but Finn doesn't notice. Finn also doesn't notice when Carole's eyebrows shoot into her hairline when he loads up the dishwasher without being asked. "Alright, Finn, buddy. Come here. Tell us what's bothering you," Burt says, calling him in to the sitting room where he is curled up on the couch with Carole.

The phone rings.

"You should answer that," Finn states.

"Later, buddy. You're more important right now."

"No," Finn says forcefully. "Answer the phone."

"Finn…" his mom says. "Is that the school?"

Finn laughs. "No, no it's not. Just, please, Dad," - and this is the first time Finn has called Burt 'Dad', so he knows it's important - "answer the phone. Hurry." Burt shoots him an odd look and grabs the phone. He sees Kurt's number, and his eyes widen. He wasn't expecting a call from Kurt. It's at this point he realizes that Finn knows something about Kurt that he doesn't, and Burt presses talk.

"Hi Kurt, how's France?" he greets his son jovially.

"Daddy," Kurt whimpers from the other end of the phone line. "Daddy, I. . .I. . . Is Finn there? "

"Yeah, he's here. What, Kurt? What's wrong?" His tone drops, and Finn can tell that Burt is worried now, because he's looking quizzically at him. Carole's just sitting there, looking between both of them, seeming very concerned.

"Daddy, I fucked up so bad. I'm so sorry, so, so sorry," Kurt sniffles timidly. "I'm so sorry."

"Kurt, calm down, son. Whatever it is, it can't be that bad."

"Dad, it is, it is. I…"

"What happened, Kurt? Did somebody beat you up?" Carole moves to stand up, but Finn pulls her into a hug, curling up on her shoulder, so glad he's close enough to home to still have mom hugs.

Burt hears Kurt almost-laugh. "Fuck no, no I wish. Dad. . . Hallowe'en…on Hallowe'en I…"

"Hallowe'en? What happened on Hallowe'en, Kurt? Are you okay?" Burt's pacing the room, worried as hell, wondering if Kurt has AIDS.

"Dad..I...tequila!" he bursts out before breaking into tears.

"What, Kurt, baby? All I got was 'tequila'," Burt says softly. Finn snuggles closer to his mom, who hugs him tight, wondering what on earth is going on with her boys.

"Émie and I went to a party," he says between quieting sobs, "and we got drunk, obviously. . . we, uh, kept drinking when we got back and . . . we went to the doctor today, she's pregnant," Kurt finishes quietly. Burt has to sit down. He's quiet.

"Dad? I'm sorry, I'm so, so, sorry."

"Burt honey, what is it?" Carole interrupts. Burt rubs his forehead with his hands. He was so sure he was never going to have to deal with this. . . but, then again, Kurt said there was tequila involved, and Burt remembered all too well how that had affected his mom (Kurt was conceived in a similar fashion. . . the difference being they had been dating at the time).

"Have you…do you know what you two are going to do?" he asks, and Carole is looking really worried.

"We talked a little bit. Neither of us want an abortion, they're just…cruel." Kurt sighs. Burt sighs, too, realizing how much of a man his boy is.

"Good . . .Kurt, I know I never expected this, but now that you've told me, if I don't get to meet . . ." Burt trails off, thinking of the heartache of never meeting the biological grandchild he never thought he'd have.

Carole can't stay quiet any longer. "What's going on? Is Kurt alright?" Burt looks at her, and mouths 'one second'.

"Hey, buddy?"

"Yes, Daddy?"

"I think Carole wants to talk to you, okay? But I want you to know I love you. I love you no matter what, and I know you'll be able to make the decisions that are right for you. Got it?"

"Yeah, Dad. I love you, too. So, so much."

"Alright, I'm gonna pass you over to Carole now, okay? I love you." Burt passes the phone to Carole and sits down heavily, rubbing his face with his hands. Finn untangles himself from his mother and wraps his arms around Burt.

"How long have you known, Finn?" Burt asks. He feels the kid tense up beside him. "I'm not mad at you, it's okay. I just want to know."

Finn's relieved. "Since about noon today," he confesses. "He called me up and wanted to know how Mom had found out about Quinn. And, he asked me to spend the night here with you guys."

Burt sits up more (in the background they hear Carole sigh an 'oh Kurt, honey') and pulls Finn into a tight hug.

Finn laughs. "That's the one you want to give Kurt, isn't it?" (Now the nurse side of Carole has kicked in and she's telling Kurt to get as much sleep as possible tonight and take tomorrow off to talk about everything with Émie.)

Burt chuckles. "Not quite, Finn. I definitely want to give him one, but that's for you. You're an awesome brother, and one of the best sons a guy could have."

Finn blushes. "Uh, thanks, Dad. You're pretty awesome, too." And Carole has hung up the phone and overhears the last bit of the conversation. She's crying.

"Kurt called me mom tonight," she says. "And you two…" There's a huge group hug, and they spend the night in the living room, looking over Kurt's baby pictures. Finn has Émie's Facebook up, and they're chatting amicably about what they think the baby is going to look like.

After that Monday, it had kind of become a tradition between Finn and Kurt to spend it chatting, and so when Kurt doesn't call by twelve-thirty on a Monday in May, Finn gets worried. Really worried, after he call's Kurt's phone and there is no answer. He shrugs it off, a little - enough to eat his lunch - and calls again after he's finished. There's a busy signal, now, and so Finn is less worried, and figures their brotherly intuition had them calling each other at the same time. He hangs up and waits for Kurt to call him back.

It's an hour later, and Finn is sitting distractedly in the first few minutes of his freshman English 1000.01 lecture (it's a busy review day, with finals coming up at the end of the month and whatnot) when he gets a text from Kurt saying 'FaceTime chat, now, ditch class this is way more important'. Finn packs his books up so fast and runs out of the classroom, ignoring the confused looks of his classmates and the slightly angry one of his professor. It doesn't matter, though, because family comes before some dumb bald guy Finn doesn't even know any day. When he reaches the closed-off stairway, he stops, sits, and logs into FaceTime. Kurt's already signed in and before Finn can beat him to it, Kurt's inviting him to chat.

To Finn's surprise, the wall behind his exhausted-looking brother is orange with a giraffe on it.

"Finn," he says ecstatically, "Look." Kurt must press the button on the screen to switch cameras, because the next thing Finn sees is a tiny baby in a pink onesie in an incubator - and oh god, she's got a mask on. Is she okay?

Finn doesn't realize he's said the last part aloud until Kurt gives a laugh. "I freaked out a bit first too, she's so early. But she's okay. They're just keeping her on oxygen to be on the safe side. She should be good to come home with us in a week."

Finn's amazed. "Wow, Kurt, wow. She's gorgeous. Congratulations!"

"Thanks, Finn," Kurt says, flipping cameras again. He switches back when Finn exclaims that he wants to look at his baby niece, not his brother who he can see anytime, but he doesn't. "Finn, I. . . I wanted to ask you something. I know it's a lot, but…"

"What is it, Kurt? Do you need me to fly to France?"

"No, nothing like that, Finn - besides, you're terrified of planes, I would never, never ask that of you. No. . . Émie and I decided a couple weeks ago that we were going to name her Molly, after. . . "

"Your Mom, yeah. But what does that have to do with me?" he asks, confusedly.

"I wanted to know if it was okay with you if her second name was Caroline?"

Finn's heart swells to what must be a kajillion times its usual size. "Kurt. . . I . . . "

"I understand if you want to save it for your kids," Kurt says hurriedly. "We've picked out other names, if you're not okay with it."

"No! No, Kurt!" Finn exclaims, laughing. "Use it, please use it. I'm honoured you want to name her after my mom. Molly Caroline is beautiful, Kurt, it's a work of art."

"She'll have a French name, too - Émie's thinking about using her sister's name. And I've always had impeccable taste, Finn!"

"I know that. You know, Dad's been worrying the past couple of weeks, once you told him you guys had started looking at names, that you were going to name it something crazy like Gucci or Gaga."

Finn sees Kurt pull a face. "Oh god. Oh my god. That is absolutely disgusting, Finn! I can't believe…erg."

"Don't worry, buddy. I tried to tell him you would never, but he wouldn't listen to me."

"Oh, Dad," he sighs. "Well, Finn, it was lovely talking to you, but I can't stay all day, and you have class."

"But Kurtie, I wanna look at my little MC!"

"What was that?"

"MC, Kurt. M for Molly, C for Caroline. It's catchy and cute!"

"I…I suppose it is, Finn. I actually really like it. MC, MC, MC! It is cute. But I really do have to go. I promise I'll send you loads of pictures, okay? And as soon as she gets the okay to fly from the doctor's, we'll be home, I promise."

"Good, Kurt. I expect no less. And bro? Congratulations, again."

"Thanks bro," Kurt responds with a laugh. "Love you, Finnessa."

"Love you too, Kurtsie," Finn laughs, and hangs up. He picks up his bag and skips all the way back to class, whistling. When he bursts back into the classroom with a huge smile on his face, interrupting the lesson once again, his professor looks severely put out.

"What the hell are you doing interrupting my class _again,_ Hudson?" he questions sternly.

Finn can't contain his glee. "I'm an uncle!" he bursts out happily.

The professor's expression softens, and he smiles, returning to his lesson without another mean word to the almost-sophomore - he's pretty sure Finn'll pass - as long as he gets these damn review notes down.


End file.
